Harry Potter heroine Hermione Granger and flame-haired friend Ron Weasley's unlikely romance left some fans calling for the female character to be paired up with the franchise's protagonist instead.
And now the wizard series' creator has admitted she may have got it wrong by matching Hermione with Ron.
In an interview with quarterly lifestyle magazine Wonderland, whose forthcoming edition is guest-edited by Hermione actress Emma Watson, author JK Rowling said Ron may not have been the most suitable beau.
She told the magazine: "I wrote the Hermione/Ron relationship as a form of wish fulfilment.
"That's how it was conceived, really. For reasons that have very little to do with literature and far more to do with me clinging to the plot as I first imagined it, Hermione ended up with Ron.
"I know, I'm sorry, I can hear the rage and fury it might cause some fans, but if I'm absolutely honest, distance has given me perspective on that.
"It was a choice I made for very personal reasons, not for reasons of credibility.
"Am I breaking people's hearts by saying this? I hope not."
The author said the duo would have likely needed relationship counselling, while Watson herself also doubted the couple's potential longevity.
"I think there are fans out there who know that too and who wonder whether Ron would have really been able to make her happy," the actress is quoted in the Sunday Times.
:: The next edition of Wonderland is out on February 7.
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